Kat, I have been reading this back and forth for some time now. I do pre 1840 reenactments. From the French Vouager to the western Mountain Man. I have a particular interest in the sea trade of the 1800's having been a sailer in the US Navy. I spend a lot of my time teaching my kids, and tons of others about this time period. You are right, that there isn't to many who do not know of the slave trade and buisness of southern plantations. However very few know of the hiddiest conditions in which this so called buisness was carried out. I do a lot of rendezvous (reenactments of the fur trading meetings in the mountains) It is one of the most diverce meetings you can find. There are Irish, Scotch, French, English, reprisenting the so called white influence not to mention some of my decendents the Italions (who everyone thinks is of mafia origin), you have native americans, and runaway black slaves. We all use the jargon of the time together in content,but would never use them outside of content to anyone. In the mountains, no one was judged by the color of thier skin, but by how long they could servive without being kilt by an injin, (a term native americans don't like but use at rendezvous )found starved to death, scalped, killed by a bear, or other critter or froze to death. My point is when kids or adults come in to see this pre 1840 event they hear songs of the period, words of the period, and they see how they all had to be there to understand that time period. The "N" word was used by white mountain men to refer to them selves being seperat and different from other city deweling whites (flat landers). "This here n has the hair of the bear." My son who has been by my side since he was four years of age deplors the term as I do out side of its contex. He once said to me he had no idea how cruel and discusting the slave trade was. He would never have known without the songs, words, and writen history, who ever writes it. Believe me as a historian, I know that the writen history is in the eye of the beholder, and is viewed differently by each culture. Like you said just read or liston more apropriatly, to native american history. But please, let my children hear the words, as revolting as they are. They have learned from the history of all cultures to respect the good qualities of each race of people while also learning how cruely the human race treats each other. I like to think they will choose the best of the good qualites to emulate. I admire your pasion, and respect your views, but even today in Belgrade there is a population of people who will stand by a government who is feeding them the notion of geniside. If we cannot study the injustice of the past, with the words used at that time, we will hear them again.